InterOil (IOC): Calling All Natural Gas Experts -- Is This A World Record Flow?

Most people agree that InterOil has found something of value at its Antelope drilling site in Papua New Guinea. Whether the gas reservoir InterOil has found matches the company's euphoric description of it, however, is still a subject of fierce debate.

For example, InterOil has described the "flow" (pressure) of natural gas at the site as a "world record."

The video below is ostensibly of a flare test at InterOil's Antelope 2 site -- which purports to show this world-record flow.

A company skeptic says this video doesn't show a flow anywhere near as big as the company describes. We therefore invite all natural gas experts to weigh in on it.

It's possible that the flow from the well is intentionally constricted and that, unconstricted, it would flow at 40 gps. But if that's the case, the video certainly isn't showing a world-record flow (and, therefore, might be misleadingly labeled).

Here's the skeptic's take on the flare video:

The flare - whilst large - is nothing more than you might get if you blew the top out of a couple of LNG cylinders - the flare is claimed to be the biggest flare ever - about 80 thousand barrels of oil per day or about 40 gallons of gas per second. This is NOT a 40 gallon of gas per second flare. Not close.

Now I assume the issue with it is that the flow is choked [intentionally constricted for the purposes of the test]. But there is just no way this flare is doing 40 gallons of gas per second. Must be choked or the flow is false. I assume there is a narrow choke on the well...